Battery-box.



A. ECOLE. BATTERY BOX. APPucA-Tmn mib ocn, 1914.

aimed oct.. `17,1916.

.ARTHUR IB. COLE, OF CALDWELL, NEVI JERSEY, ASSIGNOR T0 THE MANHATTAN ELEC .lIICJfL SUPPLY COMPANY, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A COR'PRATON Gl NEW JERSEY.

zr oriana BATTERY-BOX.

T0 all whom t may concern.'

Be it known that I, ARTHUR B. Conn, a citizen of the United States of America, and residing at'Caldwell7 in the county of Essex and State of New Jersey, have invented a certain new and-useful Improvement in Bat tery-Boxes, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to battery boxes and. particularly to boxes designed to hold a group of ordinary dry batteries.

The object of my invention is to provide a eceptacle having connections of such char acter that batteries of ordinary type may be used without any further change than the application of simple spring terminals thereto, and that upon the adjustment of the batteries in their receptacles in any relative ro tary position' the necessary connections are made when the box cover is closed.

ln the accompanying drawing, Figure l is a view in perspective of a battery box in which my invention is embodied in one form; Figs. 2 and are'partial cross sections through the cover of the box on the lines ,2--2 and 3-3 respectively; and Figa el and 5 are side elevations of battery terminals showing dillerent forms ot' terminal springs` Battery boxes oic various types have heretofore been proposed for holding a group of batteries connected in multiple or in series. For most of these boxes however, the terminals of 'the battery mustfbe specially shaped or the battery itself made of peculiar shape, and even under such conditions the batteries must be arranged in certain specific positions in the box, in order that the proper connections may be established.

ln the construction here shown, I have provided-a battery box 5 having pockets 6 oit any suitable'character in which the batteries may be placed and held in position. At each of the ordinary binding screw terg niinals 7 and 8 of the batteries, l attach a spring contact 9. Coperating with these contacts l arrange on the coverlO of the box a series of pairs of contacts 1l and l2, one olf which (1l) has the form of a disk which is engaged by the spring contact 9 on the center terminal 7 of the battery, while the other contact (l2) has the form of .a ring'surrounding the disk 11 and engaged by the spring contact 9 on the side terminal S of thebattery. These cover contacts may be Specification of Letters '.Eatent.` Pgy'bgned @815, y?? g appneaaeu ined october 5, i914.

Serial No. 865,689.

connected in any suitable manner with thev binding screws 13 and ll of the box. itis here shown, the batteries are arranged in` three rows of tour batteries each. In each row the corresponding contacts on the cover ot the cover the ring contacts are connected.

together in multiple by straps 16 -from one of which a connection 17 is lcd'ito the box binding screw 13. At the opposite end of the cover, the center contacts are connected in multiple by bridging straps 1S let into the cover, and a connection 19 established between the same and the binding screw lelon the box.

When the cover l0 is swung open. on its hinge Q0, obviously all the connections .are broken. lVhen the cover is lowered however the contacts ll. and l2 thereon engage and depress the spring contacts 9 on the batteries and establish the circuit' thfaeu through to the binding screws 13 and ld on the box. Acatch 2l engaging the cover holds the cover shut and insures@ close contact between the contacts thereon andthe spring contacts on the l'aitteries4 Various types or spring contacts may be employed. Perhaps the simplest forni is the bent spring type shown in 1Figs. l and Ll, the base'o which is apertured to lit over the binding screw steml and is held by turning down' the binding screw. A coil spring 22 also serves the purpose and may be-secured in Alike manner or he soldered in position, if preferred.

The present box affords a simple container for a group of batteries andis particularly advantageous by reason of the tact that no special battery construction is necessary'. Moreover', the box'is foolproof in the sense that it is unnecessaryto place the batteries in any particular position in their re spective pockets in order to insure the engagement between the battery terminals and the cover. contacts. engage with the spring contacts on the side terminals 8 of the batteries, in whatever relative rotary` position the batteries may be placed in the pockets.

lVhile the batteries shown are of the com- The ring contacts 12 mon cylindrical type, the invention may be applied equally well to batteries ot rectangular shape. And various modifications to I themselves.

meet various conditions Will'readily suggest I claim as my invention 1.,r A battery box of the type described comprising 'a box body and a. cover therefor, means for supporting a series of batteries gt predetermined points inthe box body, terminals extending-beyond the end face of each -battery,andcooperating terminals on the innerlgface of the box cover automatically y engaging the battery terminals' in the` closed 'f position ofthe cover whatever the relative y rotary-f positions of the several batteries at their -pointsof support in the box body.

2. A battery box of the type described Y `comprisinga .body portion partitioned to form fa `plurality vof open *ce1ls,' batteries freely insertible in said cells, spring center 'and side terminals projectingl beyond the 'outer end of each battery, in combination C with a cover for said battery box, said cover having on its inner face, for each battery, a center contact and a surrounding ring contact, which contacts, on the closing-of the cover, automatically engage the battery` cen- 5 ter and side terminals irrespective of the v relative rotary position-of the batteries in the cells of the box body;` v

In testimonyv whereofv I have signed ,my name to this specification,.gi the presence of 30 two subscribingwitnesses."I

-YaRTHUR e. COLE. Witnesses z ROD'NEY L. MARCHANT, y WILLIAM ABBE, 

